Sleepers ( 1996 )

Sometimes revenge is the only answer

Starring Robert De Nero, Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt and Dustin Hoffman




Based on a book by Lorenzo Carcaterra

                        Directed by and Screenplay by Barry Levinson

This is another example of something that could have been so much better.




I was sat watching this thinking to myself, ' I bet the book is better than this.'

There are so many big names in this film and it even has a soundtrack by John Williams, it should have worked but it didn't. There is something that just doesn't work. It felt like the whole movie was crammed together and didn't have room to breathe. We don't get time to get our heads around the story or the individual characters, I spent most of the movie trying to work out which character was which. And just when I was starting to get a grip, we are shoved thirteen years into the future and have to try and work it all out again.

Considering the star studded line up, for me it was Dustin Hoffman that came out on top even though he only played a small role. He played to alcohol lawyer with perfection, it's a pity we didn't see any stand out performances by any of the others. I don't know what went wrong. Maybe this movie would have been better served with a different production team or a different director.

As for the story itself, it's allegedly based on a true story but that is another story.






Watchable but frustratingly disappointing.



7/10